From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi. Translated by W. J. F. Jenner.

Beijing, China: Foreign Languages Press, (1989). First Edition, thus. Octavo, slick brown boards (hardcover), gilt letters, ribbon marker, 496 pp. Former-owner bookplate; otherwise, Fine, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with sunned spine. From dust jacket: From Emperor to Citizen is the autobiography of the man who was the last emperor of China and later, puppet emperor of “Manchukuo,” Japanese imperialism’s pseudo-state in China’s Northeast. The book begins with the author giving a vivid picture of the last, decadent days of the Ching court. He reveals ho, after the overthrow of the dynasty, he and other feudal forces plotted with foreign powers to restore the monarchy, and how he became the Japanese imperialists’ puppet. He then goes on to describe his life as “Emperor of Manchukuo” and tells how he came into the hands of the Chinese people’s government. He gives a lively account of his remoulding through labour and study in prisons for war criminals, relating how his thinking changed. The final chapter tells about his new life after his pardon as an ordinary citizen of People’s China.